Baku hosts protest rally against cancellation of pensions for people with disabilities

About 50 people held a protest action in front of the building of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Azerbaijan. The protestors demand to resume the payment of disability pensions or provide disabled people with job.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported there are about 600,000 people with disabilities in Azerbaijan. Along with social benefits and pensions, people who got disabilities during wars, while serving in the army, and as a result of catastrophes like the Chernobyl disaster, also receive presidential maintenance allowances. Local residents complain that the authorities have introduced new criteria for defining a disability, and the revision of benefit entitlements has led to delays in payments and refusals to certify disability.

“Let them restore my pension for disability or provide me with a job. Eleven months have already passed since I was deprived of my pension. How can we survive?” asked a participant of the protest action.

Another protester stated that his child was disabled from birth, but was deprived of the disability pension when he turned 18. The protesters criticized the policy of the authorities and complained about “the absence of a fair system of government,” “violation of the rights of citizens,” and “arbitrariness.” The protesters were met by officials from the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. However, the people are not satisfied with the results of the meeting, because, according to them, they have not been given the guarantees of a solution to the problem, the “Turan” reports.